Google Docs update

Google Docs updated their services on Friday announcing support for 12 new file types:

Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx)

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 / 2010 (.pptx)

Apple Pages (.pages)

Adobe Illustrator (.ai)

Adobe Photoshop (.psd)

Autodesk AutoCad (.dxf)

Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)

PostScript (.eps and .ps)

True Type (.ttf)

XML Paper Specification (.xps)

Take advantage of these new file types and the Google Docs Viewer to embed files into your website. Below is an example of an embedded document:

What is the Google Docs Viewer? Keep reading to find out more.

Google Docs Viewer was an option released in 2009 to all Google Docs users. Basically Google Docs Viewer allows you to preview various file types right in your browser without having to actually download the file. This is very helpful when using public computers or other locations where you don’t want to hassle with downloading a file and leaving it behind. Now you can simply click on the “view” link present in Google Docs or in Gmail (if a readable file type is attached).

The Viewer is the same process used in embedding a Google Doc file into a webpage. In your Google Docs account, open the file you are interested in embedding. On the far right hand side of the screen find the “share” button and click on the drop down arrow to get further options.

Click on the “Publish to the Web” link to get the html code you need to embed your file.

Make sure the sharing settings are set to allow anyone to view the file however or else you’ll get a nice embedded error message.